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Bris Arts is pleased to announce we have been successful in our funding application to Arts Council England, to start Bristol’s first Youth Samba Group!

Following a year’s planning and an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign in 2014, we are very excited to get this new project off the ground! We will shortly begin outreach work with several secondary schools in Bristol to recruit 30 percussionists and 20 dancers, aged 11 – 16. This will be the first and only group in Bristol providing free tuition and access for young people to take part in a Samba group, leading up to an inspiring and energetic performance at St Pauls Carnival in July.

The project will also involve the recruitment of several “Young Leaders” to provide the opportunity for young people aged 16 – 18 to gain experience of leadership skills in music education. After attending specific training sessions, and learning percussion with the group, these Young Leaders will also be running open drumming workshops in the run up to Carnival in June.

We look forward to keeping you up to date with the group as it progresses, and can’t wait to get Bristol’s young people drumming and dancing! Not only does this project provide a way for young people from across the city to get involved in Brazilian music and dance, it will also be an incredible addition to Bristol’s already thriving Carnival Arts scene.

In addition to the invaluable support from Arts Council England and Trinity Community Arts, we would like to say a special thank you to every single person who supported our Kickstarter campaign, this project would not be possible with you!

If you have any queries about this project, please contact Becky Stothart, Project Coordinator, at becky@brisarts.co.uk.

With the festive season approaching, Christmas parties are on their way! If you fancy doing something a bit different at your Christmas party this year, what about including an activity such as drumming, dance, or even puppetry?

Whether it’s with work colleagues, or at your school, our enthusiastic Bris Arts tutors are sure to get everyone involved in an activity that’s a bit different to the usual meal out! Our workshops are fun and engaging, and can be tailored to suit your requirements. Please check out our corporate and education pages for more info.

Taking part in creative workshops will not only build participants self-confidence, it will also get your festive activities off to a fun start! Get everyone involved in some Samba drumming or dance before heading off for more Christmas merriment!

Please contact us today to get a quote and book an arts workshop, and make this year’s Christmas party one to remember!

The Bris Arts team have been working on a project to form a samba group in Bristol specifically for young people aged 11 – 16. There is currently no provision in Bristol for young people to play in a samba group – we want to change that, but we need your help!

Our project aims to recruit participants from across Bristol to form a 30-piece percussion group and a 20-strong dance troupe, specifically targeting those from disadvantaged backgrounds. It will also involve the recruitment of several “Young Leaders” to provide the opportunity for young people to gain experience in leadership skills and musical education. Following weekly rehearsals and weekend intensive sessions the young people will create a full on carnival performance to be performed in the 2015 St Paul’s Carnival procession.

We are confident that the bulk of this project will be funded by Arts Council England, however to be eligible for funding we need to raise 10% of the funds ourselves. We are aiming to raise funds as a contribution towards the cost of a rehearsal venue for our young drummers and dancers. In combination with the in-kind support we have already found, we hope this will secure our funding.

Please show your support to get this project off the ground, all donations are greatly appreciated! Please share the link as well if you can, so we can raise as much as possible! Let’s get young people in Bristol learning some samba!!

Last week several of the Bris Arts tutors played some Samba to accompany the teachers strike march through Bristol. Hundreds of teachers from the South West joined picket lines for the NUT teachers strike last Wednesday. A march took place through Bristol town centre to raise awareness of the strike, with our group of drummers leading the way. The Samba drumming lifted everyone’s spirits throughout the march, attracting people’s attention to get the teacher’s message heard!

At Bris Arts we believe children’s education should be a national priority, and we offer our support to teachers throughout the UK.